The Scariest Place On Earth?
by SeaThreePeeO
Summary: AU: Michelangelo signs the guys up to spend the night in the most haunted castle in England. But, will they ever survive the night? ***New Chapter, bad things start to happen to Michelangelo*** Please review!
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or associated characters. They remain in part the property of Mirage Studios and Nickelodeon (Viacom). I make no financial gain from this fiction.

Author's note: This is an old fan fiction that I started writing back in 2002. It is meant for entertainment purposes only. I have attempted to clean the story up, fatten the chapters out and hack back the more rambley bits. As ever please read and review. Enjoy.

**Set in an Alternate Universe where not only are the turtles known about they are readily accepted in society. Michelangelo signs the guys up to spend the night in one of England's most haunted castles. But will they survive the night?**

**Chapter One**

Leonardo stepped down from the small bus that had snaked them to their mystery destination through the winding roads. He looked up at the grey castle, which seemed to silently scream out a warning to the rolling English countryside. The tall bent and racked towers scratched up into the burnt orange sky, ink dark clouds of depression loomed overhead. Unseen hands clawed at your soul, tearing your will to live from your body. Evil hung thick in the air and oozed down the castle walls.

"Isn't this great?" Michelangelo came out of the bus with the usual bounce in his step. He walked over to his brother; enthusiastically he grasped onto Leo's shoulders and gave him an encouraging shake. "I can't wait!"

"Terrific!"

Donatello struggled through the inadequately small doors of the bus; he swung his old army backpack off his shoulder onto the hard unforgiving ground. "An Englishman's home is his castle." He sighed, as he examined the vast mournful structure before him a chill wind whipped up at his coat, forcing him to hold it tighter about himself.

"Depressive." Leo muttered; his gaze trapped by the castle strong unwavering pull. A small bonfire burning near the entrance threw eerie shadows across the wall. They danced and flitted, creating hideous shapes before dying back into the gloom.

"You mean inspirational." Michelangelo gasped. "Can you imagine what went on inside those walls?"

"I'd rather not." Donatello and Michelangelo turned in time to see a sombre figure depart from the bus. Raphael tipped his old worn hat back and glowered under the brim.

"Remind me, why we are here again?"

"You are here to seek the truth." All four of the travelling companions spun round to see a stooped thin haggard lady. Her witch like features hid her true age from the world. Her eyes glowed with the kind of knowledge you dare not ask for or invite. The jet-black raven adoring her shoulder weighed up the four strangers with its deep endless eyes and slightly shook its jewel like feathers, as if welcoming doom itself.

"Where did you park your broomstick?" Raphael leaned against the bus, folding his arms he stared at the husk of a woman before him.

The others were too shocked by her silent, soundless appearance to notice Raphael's harsh words. A smothering silence descended on the group, robbing every one of their ability to speak. In through greying haze a stout, bleakly dressed man started to walk across the murky grounds towards the small gathering; mist swirled around his feet with each step taken. The mask of confusion dropped from his face as soon as he drew near, he broke out into a rather haphazard jog in an endeavour to close the gap between them.

"Welcome to Chillingham castle! I trust you had a pleasant journey." He rushed out interjected with raspy breaths.

The man seized Leo's hand and shook it vigorously. "My name is Felsen, Derry Felsen and I am your guide to the horrors and dismay of this 12th century castle."

Leo had to forcibly prise his hand away from Mr Felsen's death grip if he had any hope of using it again. Mr Felsen stepped back and soaked in the spectacle of his extraordinary guests.

"Ah, I see you have met our dear old Maggie." Mr Felsen gesticulated towards the elderly lady, who had hardly moved since her manifestation. The raven destroyed the stillness with a hearty vocalization and with a fluster of wings and feathers it captured the stagnant night air and evaporated into the purpling distance.

Seemingly undisturbed by the raven's sudden departure Mr Felsen carried on. "Miss Lydon here is our resident medium, she has worked tirelessly with the spirits of this old castle."

"Medium? You mean like a physic?" It was now Michelangelo's turn to have his hand shaken to the point of numbness.

Raphael identified his disbelief to everyone by making a sound that mocked the old woman to her core.

"We have a sceptic in our midst's." Miss Lydon pulled at her rumpled clothes, straightening them as best she could against the wind that had escalated to a chilling bluster. "By the time the hours of darkness have elapsed, you will believe!" A cackle bubbled in her throat as she thrust a long pale, crooked finger at Raphael. A strange feeling enveloped him, not fear but something much more compelling.

Mr Felsen was now giving Donatello the over zealous welcome he had inflicted on his brothers.

"So is there any evidence that the castle is indeed, haunted?" Donatello juttered out as the jolts shook his body.

"Many people have tried to gather evidence, but I am afraid our spirits are a little camera shy." Mr Felsen released Donatello's hand and stood once more absorbing the four brothers stood before him. "Shall we begin?"

The siblings gave each other a look of uncertainty, before following Mr Felsen and Miss Lydon down the misty path to the castle's formidable gates.

Mr Felsen heaved open the immense iron hinged doors, the petulant groan ran through the courtyard and ebbed into the sinister corners. The courtyard was small and dreadfully grey, the overwhelming sensation of being trapped began to slither towards the unsuspecting group. Mr Felsen strode into the centre of the walled courtyard as best his frame would permit; he spun round with such momentum that the brothers were caught by surprise.

"Welcome to Chillingham Castle!" He bellowed; the castle seemed to shy away from his raucous outburst as he theatrically flung his arms into the air. "Place of torture, of murder and intrigue. A place, of the dead! Many people have endeavoured to stay in the castle."

Miss Lydon dissolved into the scene from apparently nowhere. "But few have succeeded." She twirled her long impenetrable cloak around her feeble frame. "Shall we enter?"

There was a bit of apprehension before everyone followed Miss Lydon to the inner recesses of the structure.

Another large door was urged to move from its strong surround, the door complained vociferously as it relented to the guide's force. Somehow they had been catapulted back through the centuries, halting in Medieval England. From the robustly beamed ceiling swayed enormous chandeliers festooned with simple candles that guttered with every oscillation.

Tapestries clung to the otherwise bare stonewalls. Walls that seemed to glisten in the dull light of the candle flames. The flagstone floor was worn smooth by thousands of unseen footsteps, small puddles of damp collected in the most travelled spots. Large items of furniture stood guard like frozen sentinels. The room did not welcome its guests, but in some way despised their presence.

"Kind of makes you home sick." Raphael pushed past the frozen group and made his way further into the room.

The only evidence that they were still, in some small way connected to the 21st century lay on the far end of the grand wood table. Equipment ranging from digital cameras to infrasound detectors huddled together in a tangled mass of plastic facades and matted wiring. Donatello scanned the table of electronic delights like a staving child in a sweet shop.

"I hope you don't mind, but I have brought along some of my own equipment." Donatello stated as he heaved his dog-eared army pack onto the table.

"Of course not." Mr Felsen answered mopping his brow with a small yellowing handkerchief. "Now, we must advance with the tour. If you are all ready." Mr Felsen motioned towards the centre of the room. After setting down their packs in the few dry spots about the room, everyone accumulated near to Mr Felsen. "A chill will run down your spine, you start to sweat, your heart begins to pound. That is when you know, you are no longer alone." Mr Felsen was certainly creative when it came to setting the mood. Leo could already feel a sense of dread at the impending events. "In Medieval Britain, around 1100BC this was a place of great fear for the inhabitants of this county." Mr Felsen continued. "In that time torture was common place, castles became killing machines that squeezed the life, soul and blood out of anyone who dared cross the Barren." The silence in the room was deafening, not even the soft breathing of the captured audience could break it. "Now if you will follow me, we will proceed to the many dungeons."


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two: Forgotten Souls**

The procession streamed behind Mr Felsen through narrow meandering corridors that seemed to enfold the party. Down suffocating coils of stairs that eluded them into obscurity, the air grew heavy with the chill. The small paraffin lamp he carried illuminated the walls with an unnatural glow, making shadows appear from every niche as they passed.

Mr Felsen advanced bathed in an aura of perverted light that clung to the walls and ran across the low ceilings. It didn't take long before the order to stop came before a vast portal cut into the hard stonewall. A darkness that stretched out forever beckoned them closer. Leonardo could feel a coldness encircle him; he shivered slightly in an attempt to shake the feeling, but it held on unyielding. Michelangelo's natural curiosity urged him to lean in further for a better view, but the darkness was too deep. The two remaining brothers shrunk back from the uninviting entrance, Donatello not wishing to peer inside, while Raphael preferred to remain aloof from the gathering.

"This is one of the countless dudgeons discovered in this castle." Mr Felsen pushed the paraffin light through the void in the wall. A restrictive room was revealed, cavernous but barley the width of an average man; a modern rope safety ladder grasped the opening. "It dates back to the time of one of the worst tormenters of all time." Mr Felsen continued. "John Sage or as many knew him, Drag foot. His distinctive footsteps can still be heard patrolling the castle battlements to this day."

Michaelangelo drew back a little and shot an unnerved look towards his brothers.

"This was were you hurled your enemies." Mr Felsen demonstrated with his arms, causing the paraffin lamp to flicker. "Then you forgot about them, left them to decompose in their own hell. During the castle's renovation workmen discovered this room. They were terrified to see a seated figure which appeared to be perfectly preserved, but crumbled to dust the moment the air rushed in."

Donatello recoiled against the thought of being thrown into the unforgiving pit, most likely breaking all your limbs on the descent, only to land on the putrid remains of those who came before you.

Mr Felsen turned to the group and lifted the lamp to his face, a malevolent smile played at the corners of his mouth. "In its glory days ninety percent of all the people who entered these walls never came out!"

"This is a place of great suffering." Miss Lydon commanded the attentions of everyone present. She steadied her self, resting her hand on the cold stones of the wall. "There are many tortured spirits here. The sense of being trapped is overbearing." She straightened herself. "Echoes of clawing fingers, crumbling, breaking can be heard, felt against the unrepentant tomb walls, the unyielding earth."

"Right then." Mr Felsen interrupted lowering the lamp. "Shall we be off?"

It felt like they had been climbing forever, ascending the narrow stairways that were barely wide enough to allow each traveller through. Michelangelo could swear the air was getting thinner the higher they clambered. Mr Felsen stopped halfway through the journey; he took his old yellowing handkerchief from his front pocket and mopped the back of his neck, before placing the soiled cloth back in his pocket. There was an unnerving pause before they set off once again, upward. The group finally reached the top only to find their way barred by a dark and robust door, Mr Felsen began to fiddle with a large bunch of keys that hung from his belt loop, straining his trousers with their weight.

A dull clank echoed down the winding stairway as the lock surrendered to the tarnished key. The door slowly swung on its hinges to reveal a sparse cold and uninviting room, a lonely chair stood in the corner of the room, mourning the loss of its owner.

"This is the Chamber." Mr Felsen announced thrusting his arm through the door.

"Why is the door locked?" Donatello asked amazed that anyone would feel the need to secure a room so difficult to reach, with only a chair to keep it company.

"This is a room of great sorrow and regret." Miss Lydon spoke up from the shadows causing everyone to jump slightly. "There is much residual energy trapped in this room, no one has lasted the night in this chamber."

"That is correct." Mr Felsen interjected. "Many people have been compelled to take their lives when staying in this room. The most recent of which was a chef at the castle's hotel. He retired to this Chamber one night, the next morning his body was found, hanging from the rafters. We no longer use this room and keep it locked at all times." Mr Felsen turned back to his captive audience. "You can almost sense his body, still slowly swinging to and fro. Well then." Mr Felsen cleared his throat. "we're now quite finished, I shall show you to the rooms you will be resting in."

Mr Felsen quickly heaved the door shut and locked it tight; he gave it a little push as if to reassure everyone that nothing was going in, or coming out of that room. "This way, please." He pointed back down the stairwell. A small exhausted groan escaped before everyone began the journey back down.

"This way, not much further now. Hurry along there." Mr Felsen encouraged into the unrelenting gloom, as the weary group trudged after him. "The sooner we get back to the Great Hall the sooner your adventure can begin. Isn't this exciting?" He turned and gave everyone a hearty broad grin. "This old place does tend to feel creepy in the wee hours."

"The only thing creepy about this place is that old hag." Raphael muttered to Leo as he nodded his head in Maggie's direction. "We'd all be better off if she just hopped on her broomstick and left."

Leo craned his neck to look at Maggie as she shuffled behind them, an enthusiastic Michelangelo in tow babbling about spirits, the after life and did she really know next week's lottery numbers? A sharp poke in his ribs jolted Leo's attention back to his sceptic brother.

"Don't look at her!" Raphael hissed keeping his voice low. "She'll know we're talking about her."

"If she's physic won't she know that already?" Leo questioned pressing onwards behind the quivering hulk of Mr Felsen.

This time Raphael couldn't resist the overwhelming urge to sneak a look at Miss Lydon. Her face was turned towards Michelangelo, who sprang in step beside her, his mouth still chattering away. Maggie's beady eye caught Raphael's attention. _Was she looking at him? It had to be his imagination, a trick of the light, after all his eyes were tired._

"The spirits know you're here disbeliever!" Miss Lydon cackled through her crooked yellow smile. "They do not like your presence." Her dark eyes flashed with a malevolence only a spiteful child could muster.

Raphael quickly faced ahead shooting Leo a 'nutcase at 6 o'clock' look.

The group came to an abrupt halt; Mr Felsen stooped, waiting in the corridor, to his right lay a door mirrored on his left by its partner. "

How many rooms does this place have?" Michelangelo wondered aloud.

"Hundreds." Mr Felsen boomed echoing down the passageway. "Many of them to this day still lay u-n-d-i-s-c-o-v-e-r-e-d!" Mr Feslen wriggled his fat fingers, playing with the word as if to turn it into something more. "These are the rooms you will be spending the night, I strongly recommend in pairs."

Raphael's face plummeted on this suggestion; there was no way in hell he was going to be stuck with Leo for a whole night.

"On my right we have the Pink Room" Mr Feslen started, clearing his throat. "Many paranormal sightings have been reported in this room. None more so then those of the Radiant, or Blue boy."

Miss Lydon squeezed her frail frame to the front of the group and took her place beside Mr Felsen. After a short silence, penetrated only by her wheezing breath, she began.

"When the hour of midnight sounds, when the witching time is upon us!" She thrust her thin skeletal finger in the air and shook it in warning. "A piercing cry, a moan of agony or fear would wake the slumbering guest of this room. The screams of a child, tortured, pain racked." She slowly curled her finger back into her tight discoloured fist. "The noises were traced to a spot on the wall." Once again Miss Lydon cautiously extended her emaciated finger to indicate the far wall.

"The wall was opened." Mr Felsen burst in. "Revealing the skeletal remains of young child."

"The bones of the hands and his teeth were worn down by the child's frantic attempts to claw themselves from the dark tomb." Miss Lydon's creaky voice wavered. She closed her eyes and clutched her chest. "Terrible." She breathed.

Mr Felsen took Maggie by the shoulders and led her from the room. "My dear, I fear the strain maybe getting to much for you." Maggie waved off Mr Feslen's concern.

"It is alright Derry my dear chap. Although it is very draining and I feel my energy slipping away. The spirit's stories must be told." She paused and took a dramatic shuddering breath. "So they can be at peace." She flicked her eyes skywards and let out a lengthy sigh.

Leonardo quickly scanned his brothers' faces. Raphael's remained unreadable under a cloak of anger and shear stubbornness. Michelangelo cast his eyes upwards, following Maggie's gaze with child-like wonder. Donatello only seemed to be looking in at the room, but Leo knew his brother too well to believe that. Already Donatello was hard at work, examining, inspecting, proving and disproving his own theories. Leonardo allowed himself a glace over at their strange guides into the realm of the 'unknown'. Mr Feslen was shielding Miss Lydon from Leo's view with most of his massive bulk. Leo pushed out a long breath, letting his shoulders fall. _What on earth or not of this earth had they let themselves in for? Still he couldn't shake the feeling that not all was as it seemed._

"And here we have the Nursery." Mr Felsen whirled round with such force he stirred the dust around him into the air. "Again, there have been many reports of s-t-r-a-n-g-e behaviour emulating from this room." Mr Felsen's eyes flicked from face to face, before finally resting on the withered form of Miss Lydon. "Do you feel strong enough to continue my dear?" He extended a podgy hand waiting to pull her back into the awareness of the others.

"Thank you, Derry dear." She rasped; straightening her age racked body. Raphael was sure he could hear her creaking as she went. "The presence that has been felt in this room is now tragically fading." Miss Lydon turned her pain washed face to the door before slowly opening it. A strange feeling enveloped the now cold and fatigued group, a sense of something playful, of something watching them. "The spirit of an infant will remain ever trapped in this room, prison if you will." Miss Lydon reached up to her forehead and began to rub her temples with her aged thumb and fingers. Suddenly she snapped out of her trance and dramatically toppled back into Mr Felsen's outstretched arms. "Weak, very weak." She murmured.

"I think that's enough of our little 'tour', you all understand I am sure." Mr Felsen jostled Miss Lydon in his arms, her pale arms flailing. "It has all been a draining night for dear old Maggie." He declared as he began the task of propping her up against the harsh stonewall. "This is where you will be spending the night, as I said. I am sure that you will be most comfortable." His ample grin did nothing to lift the spirits of those around him.

The journey back to the Great Hall appeared to take longer, the chill bit into the group, distorting their minds, causing their skin to tingle with numbness. They each fought the tiredness creeping up on them from the shadows. Finally the dim candle lit room loomed into view; their absence has done nothing to warm the place. An eerie wind still rocked the chandelier, throwing deceiving shadows onto every surface. Mr Felsen gave the signal to halt, the group huddled together in the centre of the room, sharing what little warmth they had.

"This is were we leave you now, to your night of mystery, adventure and the unknown." Mr Felsen theatrically raised his face and hands to the rafters. He stood frozen for what seemed like hours then swiftly dropped his arms and lowered his gaze. "Last chance to turn back before it's too late, nobody? Good." The corners of his eyes creased with joy. "I trust you will have a most enjoyable evening. We have gathered an array of equipment to help you in your search for the supernatural." Mr Felsen waved his hand at the table. "I'm sure you will find them most useful."

"The portals to the spirit world have been opened. Beware mortals, for the hour of reckoning is at hand!" Miss Lydon proclaimed to the hushed room. "We leave you now only with your faith and wits to protect you." With the quiet rustle of a cloak and the clatter of keys Miss Lydon and Mr Felsen departed.

"This is awesome!" Michelangelo's voice echoed through the stillness. The three remaining brothers exchanged glances.

"I wish I had your enthusiasm Mikey." Leo walked over to his pack and hauled it on to his shoulder.

"It is unlikely that we will indeed see anything supernatural or even experience anything paranormal." Donatello paused to slide his army pack from the table, nearly buckling under the weight. "Most of the stories associated with this castle are probably legends and rumours that have become warped with time."

Michelangelo looked at Donatello from over his shoulder. "Well, looks like someone forgot to pack their sense of adventure." He spun round and flashed toothy grin. "Come on, what's the matter with you?" This is going to be fun."

"Yeah right." Raphael snorted, kicking his pack across the damp slippery floor.

"Anyway." Leo interrupted sensing an argument beginning to surface. "I suggest we get settled down for the night, we could all use a rest."

Michelangelo made a high pitched whining noise. "Do we have to?"

"I'll take the Nursery, Raph you come with me. Don and Mikey will take the Pink room." Leo continued blocking out Michelangelo's protests.

"Wait a minute!" Raphael stepped forward. "I ain't sleeping in no Nursery!"

"Fine." Leo narrowed his eyes. "We'll take the Pink room."

Raphael glared menacingly shaking his head.

"Paper, rock, scissors?" Michelangelo suggested. Everyone looked at each other before nodding their heads "Okay on three."

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"How'd I get stuck with you as a sleeping partner?" Raphael growled hurling his pack down on to the large four-poster bed. The springs groaned in protest. Leonardo walked into the room and carefully set his pack down beside a chair. "Face it, you're no good at paper, rock scissors."

"Only because you wouldn't go three out of five." Raphael snarled jerking an accusing finger at Leo.

Leo looked up from untangling the buckle on his pack and sighed. "It's just for one night. It will probably be over before you know it."

Raphael peered around the room squinting in the candlelight. "Oh yeah?" He sat down on the edge of the bed and turned his attention back to his brother. "Alright then, I get the bed."

Leo raised an eyeridge at Raphael before continuing to unpack a large sleeping bag.

"Whatever Raph, that thing's probably crawling with bed bugs anyway."

Raphael curled his top lip in disgust "You're just saying that."

"Am I?" Leo said flatly as he tugged a flashlight from a side pocket.

"I'll risk it." Raphael snuck a look under the sheets, whipping them back into place before Leo noticed. Suddenly something glinting caught his eye, he watched silent as his brother un-strapped a short sword from under his coat. "How'd you get that past security?"

Leo placed the sword down and a small table and began to shrug his coat off his aching shoulders. "A master never reveals his secrets."

"What did you bring it for?"

"Just in case." A small cloud of dust rose where the end of the sleeping bag slapped down onto the cold stone floor.

"In case what?" Raphael snorted, pausing only to pull at the broken zipper on his worn pack. "A band of marauding Scots attack?"

Donatello moved the small instrument resting on the table slightly to the left; he stooped down behind it and then rose to adjust its position one more time. "Perfect." He breathed gingerly removing his hands.

"What's that f-f-for?" Michelangelo stuttered clutching a blanket around his shoulders. He shivered as he watched his breath leave his body in small wispy clouds.

"This is a laser emitter and down here on the over side of the room." Donatello strode over to another small black box, balanced on the back of a chair. "Is the receiver." Michelangelo looked at the thin red line slicing the room in half. "The idea." Donatello continued, gesturing with his hands as he went. "Is that if anything solid should enter the room it will break the beam and we'll know about it. Therefore catching any fake paranormal life forms."

"Oh." Michelangelo's deadpan expression was wasted on Donatello.

Flitting to the other side of the room Donatello pointed out more equipment hidden in various corners, nooks and crannies of the Nursery. "In the unlikely event that anything supernatural should gain access to the room, these babies will record the evidence." Donatello looked up and Michelangelo quickly tried to look riveted. "Here you have your basic atmospheric alterations measuring device."

"You mean a thermometer?" Michelangelo interrupted.

"Yes, well I suppose you could call it that. Here is a magnetometer, that's used to measure any changes in the magnetic fields of the test area. Then we have an infra red camera, a white noise recorder and a digital camera for instant pictures." Donatello tapped each piece of equipment reassuringly.

"Fascinating." Michelangelo groaned as he picked up a small china doll from its crib. He looked at it for a while, taking in every detail, the ivory skin, the golden curls that farmed the pale face and those dead blue eyes. "Hey I know!" His voice picked up slightly as he returned the doll to her lacy bed. "Why don't we tell ghost stories?" Michelangelo bounced over to his tattered suitcase; suddenly he turned round on Donatello, his face illuminated beneath by a flashlight. "Ever hear the legend of Bunny Man Bridge?"

"Mikey you watch too much bad television." Donatello went back to checking the array of small buzzing boxes dotted about the place.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

"Ready?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, I suppose." Raphael sighed settling down into the middle of the huge bed.

Leo leaned closer to the candle, carefully cupping his hand around the dancing flame. With a soft blow the room was thrown into darkness.

Raphael allowed his heavy eyelids to gradually close; he let out a long contented sigh as warm, comforting sleep washed over him. Slowly he let himself float deeper into the realms of slumber; suddenly something jerked him back to reality. His eyes snapped open and he was once again back, in that depressing castle nestled on somewhere in the murky moors of England. Raising his head slightly from the pillow he squinted into the darkness. _Had he heard a sound?_ He sat still for several minutes hardly daring to breathe. _Nothing, it had to be nothing. _Raphael mentally berated himself. He was probably just spooked; after all, that old hag was enough to give even the most hardened of men nightmares. Fuming to himself Raphael turned over and tried once again to drift off. _There it was again! Sounded like, like moaning._ Raphael tossed and turned a few times, each time reassuring himself that it was nothing, just the wind howling through all the old corridors and passage ways. Either that or Michelangelo was trying to scare him. Well he wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. Things became still once more, soon, the noise forgotten Raphael was beginning to slip back to sleep.

Blinking Raphael tensed up slowly he opened his eyes; he scowled into the darkness. The wind was blowing up a storm by the sounds of it. Suddenly every muscle in Raphael's body froze, his throat became dry and tight, he tried to swallow but couldn't. _The noise was moving! It was in the room, moving closer to him, he could feel something there. _Raphael, little by little summoned the strength to turn his head towards the 'presence'. Nothing but void darkness, panic quickly surged through Raphael's body; he groped around in the pitch black for the flashlight. It took ages for his panic numbed fingers to operate the switch. Trying to keep the beam steady he panned the light across the room. _He couldn't see anything but he could still feel it, stronger now then before. _Raphael glanced over to Leonardo, sound asleep and oblivious.

"Lee, Leo." His voice was barely audible. Fumbling he turned the beam on his brother, Leo squeezed his eyes tighter shut. "Leo!" Raphael was trying to keep the desperation in his voice low. "Leo! You awake?"

"I am now." Leo groaned raising his hand to shield his eyes.

"Do you hear that?" Raphael made a strange squeaking sound.

Leonardo sat up slightly, propping himself up on his elbows. He narrowed his eyes, concentration etched on his face. "Hear what?"

"Listen." Raphael hissed. "A moaning sound." The duo sat staring into the gloom, straining their ears in the silence.

After a while Leo broke the calm. "Do you hear that Raph?"

"What?" Raphael scanned the light across the room.

"That's the sound of no one caring!" Leonardo turned over a pulled his sleeping bag cover back up. "Now go to sleep."

Raphael lowered the flashlight and switched it off. _He knew it was nothing, jet lag, that was it, he was over tired and it was playing tricks on his mind._

He rolled onto his back with a long sigh, he once more tried to get back to sleep. An inviting darkness enveloped him, pulling him back to that comfortable place. Suddenly something solid landed on his chest with a heavy thud, Raphael flung back the covers and sprung cat like out of the bed. Stumbling back a few paces he landed on top of Leonardo.

Leonardo struggled to push his panic stricken brother off his legs; grabbing his flashlight he turned it on and shone it in Raphael's face. "What's the matter with you?" Leo was taken back by the look of fear on his siblings face.

"Something….hit…..chest." Was all Raphael could manage to push out through gasping breaths, he held onto his heaving chest in an effort to calm himself down.

"What are you on about?" Leo shone the light over at the bed. Something small and shadowy swooped into the beam, both brothers let out a gasp as they jumped. Leo swept the beam of light upwards. "Bats?"

"The room is crawling with them." Raphael pointed out hundreds of the creatures clinging to every available surface.

"But, where are they coming from? How are they getting in?" Leo kept the light trained on the dark swirling mass above them.

Michelangelo sat cocooned in a corner of the Nursery, his knuckles white, either from clasping the blanket around his shivering frame or from the biting cold. He could no longer tell which, not that he would have cared in the slightest. He was no longer able to feel his skin; a dull throb was threatening to cease up his jaw if he continued to hinder his chattering teeth. A shuddering breath escaped his body in hazy coils; pulling his frayed defence tighter around himself he glanced over at Donatello.

Donatello remained frozen, bathed in the pale glow of several monitors, the only signs that betrayed his wakened state were the almost ritualistic ways he feverishly checked and double-checked the equipment. Surrendering to his annoyance only to tap the machine and frown. He ardently scribbled notes in an uneven spiral notebook, which desperately clung on to its pages with all its might.

Another shiver ran through Michelangelo's body, snaking its way up his back, jolting towards his shoulders.

The bats seemed to be appearing at an alarming rate, their constant clicking had reached a deafening level. Several candles, which had been lit since their arrival, guttered in the swirling currents of air created by the hundreds of black skinned wings. Leonardo persisted to scour the room in a desperate attempt to find their entry point. Raphael crouched low to avoid the ongoing assault as the bats continued to hurtle a round the room.

"How are they getting in?" Leonardo looked up from searching under the bed. "Not a window is open, there are no holes or lose bricks to be found, not even a crack." Leonardo let out a frustrated sigh. "Its just not possible."

Raphael glared at his brother, the flashlight still shaking slightly in his hands. "We didn't imagine them Leo." He had to raise his voice to be heard above the chattering din.

"Are you sure you're not dreaming?" Leo rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand as fatigue began to get the better of him.

"Think about what you just said for a second." Raphael snarled pointing to his head, he was getting more irate by the second.

"Maybe we should see how Mike and Don are." Leo ventured.

"Good idea!" Raphael said as he struggled not to make a break for the door.

Michelangelo's eyelids began to feel like lead shutters, it was a battle just to keep them open. He blinked away his blurred vision and tried to focus on the still motionless Donatello. It was no use, before he knew what was happening, he had begun to slip into the dark peaceful realms of unconsciousness.

"That's odd." Donatello's voice halted Michelangelo's travels.

"Huh what?" Michelangelo mumbled as he stiffly shifted his weight.

"The temperature in this room has been a steady constant all night, yet just now it dropped several degrees before recovering." Donatello tapped the thermometer and glanced over his notebook. "Maybe it is a fault with the equipment."

"Hmm maybe." Michelangelo groaned, trying to get comfortable by wriggling down into his blanket. A noise wrenched him from his dreamy thoughts of sleep. The monitor display was full of static, the picture began to jump and distort. Immediately Donatello began to bang on the side of the malfunctioning display. Suddenly the picture vanished leaving only a small white dot in its place.

"Must be the damp interfering with the wiring or maybe the connections." Donatello turned the monitor around and began to jiggle the wires sprouting out of the back.

Raphael grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, but nothing happened. He tried again causing the door handle to rattle in his desperation. The noise in the room was beginning to intensify as the tumbling black mass continued to swell.

"It's stuck!" Raphael yelled clawing that the doors handle. Leonardo quickly shoved his brother out of the way.

"Here, let me!" But the door held fast, refusing to yield to the fraught attempts to open it.

"You're turning the handle the wrong way!" Raphael grabbed hold of the handle again as a new surge of panic began the numbing crawl up his legs.

"I am not!" Leonardo cried as he started to wrestle for control of the door. Before long terror had taken a strong hold of the brothers, balling their fists they started to pound relentlessly on the door.

The atmosphere in the Nursery rapidly changed, an unexplained sense of fear gripped the two brothers. The over whelming feeling of panic twisted deep inside their stomachs, slowly squeezing the courage from their bodies. Something evil something unseen was there. A deathly cold wind blustered through the room, emitting a low blood-chilling hiss as a choking burning smell filled the room, embracing the terrified pair before finally vanishing without a trace. The monitoring equipment sputtered back to life as the room slowly became calm once more.

"What the hell was that?" Michelangelo stared wide-eyed at his equally astonished brother.

"Well." Donatello softly coughed into his clenched fist. "These old castles do tend to be a bit draughty." A frantic hammering interrupted him before he could finish rationalising the experience further.

Michelangelo and Donatello tumbled into the corridor, the emptiness pressed in all around them, hastily they scrambled towards the Pink Room; the relentless pounding was now becoming desperate. Michelangelo reached the door first; he placed the palms of his hands flat against the rough surface of the wood, the door felt strangely warm under his anxious touch. "Leo? Raph?"

"Get this door open!" Raphael's voice wavered as the panic began to knot in his throat. Instinctively Michelangelo pressed his head to the door and strained, listening, but he couldn't hear anything over his brothers' frantic attempts to free themselves.

"What's happening?" He drew back slightly from the door and narrowed his eyes. "What's going on in there?"

"The door's stuck fast, it won't open." Leonardo's calm voice filtered through.

Michelangelo shot a worried look towards Donatello. "Should I break it down?"

"If you want a dislocated shoulder and a huge repair bill, be my guest." Donatello rapped his knuckles against the large barrier. "It's solid oak."

"What do we do?" Michelangelo returned his attention to the foreboding door. "We can't just leave them in there." Donatello paused, chin in his hand for a few minutes reflection.

"Well?" Michelangelo fidgeted, his impatience becoming more apparent.

"Let's think about this rationally, shall we?" Donatello stepped forward and boldly grasped the door handle; gingerly he gave it a small twist. A soft click jerked the handle, Donatello stopped and looked back towards Michelangelo, worry had begun to furrow his forehead. Donatello placed his other hand flat against the door, as he gave a sharp tug an elongated creak echoed out down the corridor ringing of the walls.

The door crashed open, Donatello and Michelangelo were shoved aside as Leonardo and Raphael hurtled out. The brothers were bent double; hugging their knees as they both battled to control their erratic breathing.

"Are you two alright?" Michelangelo asked as he dusted off the seat of his pants.

"Room ….. bats … full … of!" Raphael spluttered, making a strange whooping noise as he sucked in more air.

Donatello and Michelangelo exchanged bewildered looks. "Bats?" They exclaimed in unison.

"Bats." Leonardo cut in, straightening himself up slightly. "Hundreds, the room's filled with them."

Michelangelo peered through the dark doorway, edging forwards he squinted into the deep blackness. "Bats? Where?" He questioned before exchanging another glance with Donatello. "They're not there now."

"What!" Raphael pulled himself up and ran towards the room, catching himself on the doorframe he leant further into the room. "But… but, the whole room was full of them." Looking over his shoulder Raphael pulled himself back in the corridor. "Tell them Leo!"

All eyes turned towards Leonardo, the stillness that invaded the corridor was unnerving.

A wry smile crept across Michelangelo's face.

"Oooh I get it," he turned to look at Raphael, who was still propped against the doorframe, "big bad Raph got spooked!" Raphael's expression soured as his brother continued to poke fun. "Is Raphy-waphy scared? Did he forget his blankey? Aww do you want to hold my hand?"

"How'd you like a fat lip to go with that fat head of yours?" Raphael growled through his teeth.

Leonardo quietly watched, hardly noticing the argument unfolding before him. Raphael and Michelangelo were now very close as the banter continued to fly. Donatello was franticly agreeing with both sides of the argument in a desperate bid to defuse the situation.

Leonardo looked towards the now dark emptiness of the Nursery; soon he began to lose himself in thought. _What was happening? Were the bats really there? They had to be; he couldn't have imagined them and what were the odds of Raphael and himself having the exact same dream? _Suddenly a noise penetrated his mind, faint, and shrill but oddly enticing. Leo disregarded the noise as his doubts resurfaced. _How were they getting in, had someone let them in and if so, how? _Again the noise broke through, dull and metallic, calling like the toll of a bell

"If you weren't an idiot, I'd pop you one!" Raphael snarled curling his hands into tight fists.

"Don't let that stop you." Michelangelo shot back wearing an amused smirk. Next to watching Jackass, goading Raphael was the most fun he could have with the minimum of effort.

Raphael tensed, slowly drawing his arm back, concentrating as much power as he could he readied himself. Leonardo abruptly caught the crook of his raised arm, causing him to stumble a little.

"What the hell did you do that for!" Raphael demanded, shrugging off his brother.

Leonardo pressed a shaky finger to his lips and motioned for him to shush. "Listen."

The four brothers stared wide-eyed at each other, hardly daring to breathe. Their senses were bombarded; the shrill whine fluctuated and pitched before seemingly moving away from the group, a thick acrid burning swept past them dissolving into shadows.

"What is that?" Michelangelo asked, the fight quickly forgotten.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out!" Leonardo sounded a little braver then he felt.

"Wait just there!" Donatello rushed back into the Nursery trying to contain his excitement.

"Y-you mean you want us to follow it?" Raphael stuttered in disbelief.

"Unless you're too scared." Michelangelo grinned as he took the flashlight Donatello handed to him.

An arc of light cut through the gloom in the twisting passageways, the beam scaled the walls glistening off the moist stones and damp floor, casting distorted shadows in its wake. As the anxious group crept onwards as the pressing cold began to dull their lead weighted limbs, the sounds of chattering teeth and stuttering breath only served to hasten their step.

Donatello lingered, searching through the worn front pockets of his faded backpack. Breaking into an erratic jog he quickly closed the gap formed between himself and his brothers. They continued in silence, neither daring to speak, a feeling of electricity crackled on their skin as they neared the next twist, the corridor gradually narrowed as it wound down the spiralled stairway. The group tightened, closing in on each other for warmth and security, Leonardo and Donatello pushed forwards starting the cautious descent while Michelangelo and Raphael hung back, peering down into blackness before beginning to follow their brothers.

"Stay close! I don't want anyone getting lost down here." Leonardo turned to shine his flashlight back up the shaft only to be met by vacant emptiness.

Michelangelo reached the bottom of the steep stairway, another dark cold corridor stretched for what seemed like miles before him. He scanned the area with his flashlight, playing it up the walls and along the long stone floor as he waited for his brothers to catch up. After a few moments he turned to shine his light back, _what was keeping them?_ Suddenly the realisation hit him like a hammer, knocking the air from his lungs, he was alone!

Donatello hiked his backpack further up his shoulders, his eyed firmly glued to the portable magnetometer. Nothing spectacular had occurred yet and they had to have been travelling for at least half an hour. Without warning the needle shot to the other side of the dial as if propelled by a great force, the magnetometer screeched out a high pitched wail before the phenomenon died away.

"Did you guys see that? We must have hit a pocket of magnetic force! Fascinating, isn't it?"

Donatello spun round; only to find he was alone, the only sound he could hear was the relentless howling of the wind outside the castle walls.

Raphael silently fumed all the way down the stairs; _this was all Michelangelo's fault! It was his fault he was here now, freezing is tail off in some forgotten draughty hellhole in the middle of nowhere. Why had he ever let that halfwit sign him up for something like this? 'It'll be fun!' yeah right, having the time of my life here. _Blinded by rage Raphael noticed nothing until he reached the bottom of the stairs, he narrowed his eyes as he glanced around the barren corridor. "Yeah, real funny guys! You can come out now." Only stillness replied. "Guys? Guys?"


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four: Seek The Secrets**

The dull throb of dread tightened in Michelangelo's chest as he inched his way forwards, blood pounding in his ears, his face was beginning to flush and his skin prickled slightly.

"Oh my God, oh my God." He whispered breathlessly as he urged himself to continue.

Shadows clawed their way across the floor, scratching up the walls. Darkness oozed from every crevice virtually blocking out the light. Noise became strangely exaggerated; constricting passage walls distorted even the resonating sounds water slowly dripping from the high arched ceiling, contorting them into unearthly whispers. A low rumble of thunder rolled over the distant hills somewhere outside the castle walls, warping as it echoed through the corridor.

Michelangelo swept the flashlight beam before him, chasing the shifting shadows; occasionally catching a movement just out of sight before it vanished in the torchlight.

"You can do this, you can do this. You're doing great, that's it, just a little further." Suddenly his flashlight started to flicker. "No, no, no!" panic cracked his voice as suffocating darkness closed in. Michelangelo desperately shook the wavering flashlight in his hands, he watched with cold helplessness as the incandescent beam slowly faded before finally extinguished altogether.

His misty breath obscured his vision as he squinted up the shadowy stairwell, shafts of pale moonlight streamed through the tortured glass of a small window, cutting lines across the floor. Serious doubts started to nag at the back of his mind. One thought after another, but one thing he was sure of, something was wrong. Leonardo paused, listening to the sound of his own heavy breathing he tried to clear his fogged mind. He couldn't shake the feeling that he should continue down the uninviting corridor, onwards to what ever lay ahead. Once again the strange noise peeled out of the darkness, pulling him onwards. When finally he came to his senses he was surprised to find he was several steps away from his original position, taking a fleeing glance back he continued to follow the noise into the heart of the castle.

His face creased with concentration, straining all of his senses Leonardo slowly moved in the direction the sound was beckoning him. His whole body ached, each nerve end tingled, every muscle taught. Silently he crept along, alert, waiting. The further away the sound drew him, they more he could begin to make out. Leo stopped; allowing a hazy sigh to escape from his lips, the sound was gone. Closing his eyes, he listened hard, absorbing every sensation around him. A garbled sound forced upon his awareness, a babble of voices each fighting to be heard. Squeezing his eyes tight, Leo tried to concentrate, filter the chaos. Mournful voices echoing screams, the walls rung with the sound of gruesome piercing cries.

" - Seek the secrets - " 

Leonardo's eyes snapped open, a jolt of fear raced through his body rushing the air from his lungs. He spun on his heels, gripping the flashlight with both hands he darted the beam around the choking passageway. The damp walls and floor glistered in the stark brilliance, but revealed nothing. His heaving chest slowed as he lowered his arms slightly. 

_There had to be someone there! He had heard them! Hadn't he?_

Rain had begun to lash relentlessly against the castle walls, depressingly drumming, invading his every move, filling his mind with its torturous rhythm. A bolt of lightening illuminated his palled features, before the black skies shrouded everything in darkness. Only the buzzing blue-ish light seeping from the plasma screen remained to console him. So many twists and turns tumbling in his mind perplexing his way, Donatello sat bunched up in a dank corner, pulling his knees in tightly to his chest he shied from the atmosphere embracing him. The wind screeched far beyond the castle walls, slamming the rain harder into the walls of the castle. The whole structure seem to live, breathe all around him, creaking and groaning with each laborious breath. Cold biting into his hands and face, protected from the cloak of shadows by his bubble of blue light Donatello looked on desolate as the low battery indicator began to blink intermittently.

Ensnared by the intoxicating stillness, Raphael traced the winding path through the hollow twisted centre of the castle. Isolation stung all around him, infiltrating his very being to its inner most core, where it hung cold and leaden in the pit of his stomach. 

The presence he first felt in the Pink Room had never left him; sometimes it shied, strayed from him, but not for very long. It was close now, almost upon him, treading lightly in his footsteps, watching, waiting, its breath prickling the back of his neck. Raphael bit back the bitter tasting bile that clawed at the back of his throat, the grim greyness of nothing eked out before him, each shuddering step he travelled pulled the cloak of remoteness taut around him. A sense of helplessness gripped his chest crushing the air from his chilled lungs; allowing a sob to escape his lips, he was alone. Desperate thoughts clamoured for attention in the raging torrents of his troubled mind.

W_hat If, what if something happened? Wasn't this what happened in horror movies, the group mysteriously splits up? Would anyone hear him yell, would anyone reach him in time, before it was too late, where were the others, were they together somewhere, searching for him or waiting to leap out at the next shadowy turn, were they alone like him, what if they needed his help, had something already happened to them, was he next, unknowingly stumbling to his bloody demise round the next corner?_

Thin threads of yellowing silver caressed his face as the moon dipped behind the thick sodden clouds, still the darkness boiled before him, the storm continued to pound outside the castle walls, hammering it's way inside. Slowly skulking through the sooty blackness fear pulsated through Raphael's weary body. He felt as though he had to keep moving to save his heart from bursting. 

The moon suddenly burst from out of the clouds, slashing sharp lines of light through the gloom, the walls and floor shone like water. Gently Raphael's flashlight flickered and died, calling the opaque shadows from the furthest reaches of the corridor. Hurrying through the silence Raphael came face to face with a small unassuming door; unlike any other he had seen since entering this labyrinth to. Cautiously Raphael looked back along the path he had just taken, a reluctance to retrace his steps thudded in his head. The presence, which had been dogging his journey through these stretches of foreboding passageways, moved in on icy wings, the air began to hiss and crackle slightly. 

With an eerie ease it revolved around him, a scratching of filthy entities chucked muddily, he could hear them now as they sung something cold and low, feel their warm stinking breath as they drew in creaking tighter and tighter until it seemed as though the night might fracture splitting along the seams, the dust at his feet kicked up into the vortex of tumbling air, a pungent murderous smell filled his nostrils. Quickly terror surged through him, Raphael gasped the freezing iron door handle, a sharp pain caught him flowing through his arms like thousands of little electric shocks, snatching his hand away he noticed each finger was dripping with blood. 

As silently as it had come the manifestation settled into a peaceful, quiet, stillness, before slowly melting into the walls

.

Raphael turned and fled, rubber limbed stumbling over shadows, spinning and lurching towards the dark his lungs seared from the lack of air, but still he raced on thundering towards the unknown.

Donatello's head nodded and lolled, his sight became unfocused and fuzzy; a great nothingness sucked him down into the black swirling realms of sleep. He snapped his head back, jerking himself back into the bleak reality he had just escaped. _He must have fallen asleep, but for how long? _He glanced at the screen of the portable magnetometer that still rested in his clasp. _Dead, he really should have brought more batteries. In certain, supposed haunted residences, batteries seemingly having the power sucked from them had been well documented. _The cold was really getting to him now; it was seeping through his clothes, soaking, freezing his bones. _Perhaps, perhaps if he was to move about a bit more he might warm up slightly. _

Struggling to his feet was painfully slow as the blood began to flow back into his long forgotten limbs, the fizzy tingling sensation made moving even more uncomfortable. Donatello did his best to stretch before kneading the feeling back into his hands. Just then a shifting in darkness caught his eye. A low groan crackled, knifing its way through the stifling atmosphere as a door gradually swung open. _There had to be a rational explanation_, Donatello mused, _maybe his recent movements had disturbed something, a loose floorboard possibly, or the wind clawing at the walls outside was to the blame for the doors sudden sway. _Doubt slowly leaked into a small corner in his mind, its sharp fingers reaching out to poison his thoughts. _Had he not seen a movement by that very door just moments before? He had to admit, something had drawn his attention to that area of the room. _

He placed the magnetometer on the floor before slouching the worn pack from his shoulders. Frantically he fumbled through the pockets as fast as his numbed fingers would allow. _Ah, there they were, he never left home without them if he could help it. His trusty night vision goggles made to his own outstanding ingenious design._

Carefully he slipped them into place over his eyes and scanned the room. _What was that! _Donatello felt his heart leap from his chest only to settle in his throat where it hammered. A strange whooshing noise filled his ears. There was an indistinguishable shape, but it was there none the less, showing by the door. Donatello pushed the goggles up on to his sweat-drenched forehead; he squinted into the shadows and blinked several times. 

_Nothing? _Jittery, he scratched at the goggles attempting to reposition them over his eyes. _Still there!_ His brow furrowed as Donatello concentrated hard on the object before him, it had to be an anomaly or a glitch with the night vision, he was leaning towards anomaly when he noticed something that froze the blood in his veins, the shape was moving towards him! A shrill whine pierced the air sending Donatello reeling backwards. _The magnetometer! But that wasn't possible! _Fear began to quake his body, crawling under his skin; upon stepping back Donatello's legs became ensnared in the straps of his backpack hurling him to the ground. Turning on his belly he desperately clawed his way to the exit, throwing himself out of the room into the uninviting corridor beyond. 

Panting heavily he kicked his legs free from the tangled strapping, sucking in large gulps of air Donatello tried to steady his nerves.

Michelangelo stumbled blindly onwards, one trembling step after another. _What was that?__Did he just hear footsteps? _They were drawing nearer, bouncing off the walls and echoing through the length of the grim passage way. Feverishly clutching the flashlight close to his chest Michelangelo stood, stock still, rooted to the spot by some unimaginably powerful force. He could hear the unearthly wailing and screaming, feel it squeeze the very life from his heart as the 'thing' closed in. _It would be on top of him any second! _

Something loomed out of the blackness towards him, screeching wildly as it flailed its arms. Using the only thing at hand to defend himself with, Michelangelo brought it down upon his attacker with all his might. The lamp of the flashlight connected with something solid creating a satisfying thud.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

The impact was just the jolt needed to bring the flashlight fluttering back to life. Michelangelo's panic seized hands fumbled as he attempted to turn the beam on the groaning shape. The light quivered slightly in his grasp, Michelangelo clamped his eyes tight shut he remained that way for several agonising seconds as the sounds of his own terrified breathing flooded his ears. Cautiously he cracked one eyelid open and focused on his feet. _He should be brave, at least brave enough to peak out and see more then his feet, but, what if he saw more then his feet?_ Blinking back the darkness he opened his eyes and scanned the cold corridor before allowing his gaze to fall upon the form before him.

"Oh crud!" He groaned, soaking in the depressing sight, Raphael lay sprawled on the damp flagstone floor.

Leonardo felt as if he had been walking for hours as he fought back the deadening waves of fatigue. Lumbering down one monotonous passage after another, he couldn't escape the feeling he'd been travelling in circles ever since he entered this accursed place. He was no closer to finding his brothers nor any closer to finding whatever it was that was toying with them. Manipulating them for its own deformed and twisted pleasure. His heart lurched as his mind drifted back to his brothers. _Where were they? Were they safe? Together? Are they being forced, like him to wander this mind-bending labyrinth? What if they were trapped somewhere, waiting for him, in need of his help?_ He quickened his pace, pushing through the tangled webs of darkness.

Raphael groaned, a sharp pain exploded through his head as he heaved his bruised body off the floor.

"What hit me?" He asked rubbing the large throbbing lump on the side of his head.

Michelangelo glanced at the flashlight in his hand; quickly hiding it behind his back he offered his brother his free hand. Raphael lent against the wall trying to beat back the white-hot throbs as they pulsated through his skull.

"You okay bro?" Michelangelo asked tentatively. Anger flashed behind Raphael's eyes, he grabbed hold of Michelangelo's coat. His arms cocked at the elbows, fists up by Michelangelo's ears he shook him violently.

"You little shit! I'm going to make this castle's ghost population increase by one!"

"I thought you didn't believe in that stuff." Michelangelo stuttered out between shakes.

Raphael stopped shaking his brother only to glare at him menacingly.

Leonardo stopped; he flicked the flashlight beam up and down the corridor chasing the moon shadows as they danced and leapt away. _Had he just heard something? _He held his breath as strained to hear. _Voices, up ahead? _Breaking into a run he thundered down the hall.

Scooting himself along on his bottom Donatello had attempted to put as much distance between himself and the room as possible. Slowly reaching out he snatched up the straps of his tattered backpack. Clutching it close to his chest he scuttled to his feet and fled, stumbling over his own shadow. _Voices?_ Donatello skidded to a halt and looked back down the corridor. _It couldn't be, the acoustics of the castle had to be playing tricks on his mind. There it was again, more distinctive, familiar. _Whirling round he raced back towards the swallowing emptiness.

"It was an accident I swear!" Michelangelo pleaded as Raphael ground his shell hard into the wall. "I thought you was a spook."

"Do I look dead to you?" Raphael snarled.

"No, no such luck." Michelangelo muttered under his breath. Raphael narrowed his eyes.

"What did you just say?"

"I said no, thank fuck."

Donatello slipped and slid as he scuttled down the damp corridor, the hem of his coat whipping viciously at his ankles. Rounding the next twisted corner he skidded to a halt, his tattered backpack hit the floor with a soft thud as he took in the scene that sprawled out before him.

Michelangelo knew he had said the wrong thing the moment his brother's expression soured, as a dark storm of rage clouded his features. Raphael's knuckles whitened as he tightened his grip on his brother's coat and began to shake him violently.

"I. Said. It. Was. An. Accident!" Michelangelo shuttered as his rag dolled limbs started to tingle and loose all feeling.

Donatello coughed loudly to announce his presence causing Raphael to release his stricken brother and practically spring through the adjacent wall.

"What the fuck do you think your doing?" Raphael growled still clutching at his chest, his heart threatening to burst forth and flee of it's own accord "Creeping up on people like that?"

"I wasn't creeping." Donatello corrected.

The knotted shadows that loomed from the darkness slowly withered and died in the pale light spilling from his flashlight as Leonardo slowly edged his way forwards. Strange shapes that had swam and danced across his vision as they stretched out before him suddenly took on a more familiar form. He could see just make out the blank silhouettes of his brothers as he drew closer.

"I'm sure there's a scientific explanation for this." Donatello breathed as he helped Michelangelo struggle to his feet.

"Yeah, Raph's an A-hoooole!" Michelangelo moved the last word carefully and slowly around in his mouth, just to make sure Raphael heard him clearly enough.

"Why you little!"

"Gack!" Michelangelo spluttered as Raph leapt forward and started to strangle him, forcing Donatello to heave them apart once more

"And how is this supposed to help us?" Spinning quickly the brothers shielded their eyes from Leonardo's flashlight beam as he shone it directly into their faces. "Bickering and fighting amongst yourselves? Have you forgotten what you are? You are ninja!"

The three brothers groaned inwardly and readied themselves as Leonardo swung into lecture mode.

"It seems strange that the darkness of a stormy, night is so intoxicatingly provocative to the imagination. But we know this. Darkness is the ultimate weapon of fear, with the potential to cloak and mask any number of horrors hiding within the black abyss, while they wait for their time to crawl forth." Leonardo waved his hands about lend a bit of drama to what he was saying, painting eerie shadows as his flashlight beam swirled in front of them. Raising his hand and looking towards the ceiling he continued, "We are ninja and as such the darkness is our domain. We live, thrive," He grasped at the air for effect, "in the shadows and as such should….."

"Um." Donatello cautiously raised his hand.

Leonardo dropped his gaze and narrowed his eyes; he had now just completely lost the flow of what he was saying. "Yes" he ventured

"I don't wish to alarm anyone here." Donatello cleared his throat. "But I am certain I just saw a movement."

"Where?" The three brothers chorused.

"There." He said indicating the end of the corridors with the handle of his flashlight, against his best efforts the end of the handle shook slightly. Everything stilled as the brothers barely dared to breathe, not one brave enough to turn and look for himself. "It could have been a trick of the light." Donatello continued as he started to rifle through his backpack. "But I was certain that." His voice dropped to a low rasping whisper. "That, I saw **something** move."

"Heeeeeeeeelloooooooooo?" Michelangelo's voiced wavered as it bounced off the corridor walls, piercing through the inky blackness.

"You igjit!" Raphael snapped smacking Mikey across the back of his head. "We're the only ones here. Thanks to you, laughing boy!"

"Hey!"

"Actually, we cannot be certain of that!" Donatello interrupted while fiddling with some batteries, his flashlight held haphazardly in the crook of his elbow. "You know, in the interest of paranormal studies we should really investigate." He tried and failed to keep his excitement from his voice as it bubbled at the back of his throat.

"Well be my guest!" Raphael flamboyantly twirled his wrist as his bend low in a mock bow.

"Can't we not, and just say we did?" Michelangelo simpered pulling his coat tight around himself.

"Well?" Donatello asked his eyes flicking between his brothers horrified faces. "Need I remind you that we're basically stuck here until Mr Felsen and Miss Lydon return in the morning. Perhaps we should make the best of things?"

"Call me crazy." Raphael announced suddenly, much to Michelangelo's amusement. "But I don't fancy hanging about here like a bunch of old biddies nattering until our arses freeze off." With that said he jammed his hands deep into his pockets and scowled at Leonardo.

"I suppose." Leonardo shrugged. "Moving around might help warm us up a little and maybe on the way we might find our way out of this twisted hell hole."

"Good." Raph allowed a smirk to play across his lips. "You first!" He insisted shoving Michelangelo in front.

The group huddled close together as the depressing surroundings pushed in against them, the sound of chattering teeth and stuttering breath the only accompaniment. Their flashlight beams shimmered and danced across the walls and floor as they inched slowly forwards. Donatello was the first to break the noisy silence.

"If I'm correct, and I usually am, we have passed this door before. In fact whilst we have been travelling on this current trajectory, we have in fact passed it on several occasions. We have been walking in circles, as it were." He demonstrated a circle in the air with his hand before studying the three blank faces staring back at him, waiting for some sort of sign that they had at least understood what it was he was getting at. Raphael didn't disappoint.

"How can you tell?" Raphael's brow furrowed slightly, "everything looks the fucking same!"

"Attention to detail." Donatello said, repositioning his night vision goggles.

"Well this is just fucking great!" Raphael threw his arms up in frustration before letting them slap down by his sides. "We're stuck here, being lead round in circles, all thanks to idiot features over there!"

"You didn't have to come." Michelangelo folded his arms defensively across his chest, "you coulda said no."

A slightly manic chuckle bubbled under Raphael's breath. "Oh no, no I couldn't! Because he nagged me until I had no choice in the matter!" he spat, jabbing an accusing finger in Leonardo's direction. "A chance that shouldn't be passed up he said." Raph continued. "A chance to travel the world and soak up new cultures, broaden your horizons. That's what he said! Well I've got news for you Leo." Raphael pressed his face up close against his brother's and snarled. "My horizons were broad enough!"

"I don't nag." Leonardo said narrowing his eyes

"Yes you do." Michelangelo added.

"Nag nag naggerty nag nag nag naggerty nag." Raphael made talking motions with his hands while he continued to mock. "You'd make someone a nice little wife one day." He shoved his brother hard catching him off guard.

Leonardo stumbled slightly before stopping himself. Despite the seeping cold he could feel his skin flush hotter, clenching his fists tightly he began to count each slow breath as he inhaled and exhaled deeply. He hated it when Raphael ridiculed him in front of his brothers. "Look," he sighed , "this isn't getting us anywhere. Fighting amongst ourselves, it's what they want!"

"It's what who wants, Leo? We're the only ones here. Remember?"

"We don't know that for sure, Raph."

"Mr Felsen and Miss Lydon will be here in the morning. Perhaps it would be prudent to wait here until then. Once they realised we've lost our way they are most certain to come and find us." Donatello hoped his reasoning would avoid further argument.

Raphael was far from finished, he was in a foul mood and he wasn't about to let his pacifist brother piss on his parade.

"So that's it then, that's the plan. We'll just wait here, knocking our knees together until somebody comes to find us and drag our frozen dead asses out of here? That's it?"

"Um, yes." Donatello ventured.

"Fuck that!" Raphael scowled, ramming his hands deep inside his coat pockets and storming off. "First window I come across I'm out of here!"

"But, Raph!" Leonardo started after his brother. "We could be three or four stories up!"

"Great, I'll chuck you down first. Gimme something soft to land on!"

"You could always try landing on your head!"

Michelangelo and Donatello watched as the darkness wrapped around their bickering brothers, enveloping and obscuring them from view. Donatello cleared his throat before motioning to his younger brother. "Shall we continue?"

"Yeah." Breathed Mike. "HEY GUYS! WAIT FOR US!"

Leonardo caught Raphael by the crook of his elbow, halting his travels abruptly. "Raph! Stop! We need to stay together if we're ever going to have a hope of."

"You do whatever the fuck you want Leo." Raphael cut him off, violently jerking from his grasp. "I sure as hell am!" The two brothers glowered at each other.

"Wait... wait... wait up!" Michelangelo panted, finally catching up. Donatello wasn't far behind.

Suddenly an unearthly sound, like a woman screaming tore through the corridor and peeled off into the distance.

"Mike! Get the hell off my back!" Raphael growled attempting to untangle his limbs from those of his brother.

"Did, did you hear that?" Michelangelo's voice quavered slightly as he slid down from Raphael's shell.

"Besides your scream, you mean?" Leonardo enquired, uncupping his ears.

Michelangelo flashed a sheepish grin at the others. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that. But I heard a noise" He stated, rubbing his palm across the back of his neck.

Silence fell over the group once more as they all strained to hear anything over the ringing that was now resonating through their ears.

"I swear! I heard a noise, like someone hissing in my ear."

"What noise? I don't hear anything! You sure you haven't sprung a leak? And get that flashlight outta my face!" Raphael shielded his eyes and squinted into the darkness behind them.

"Shush, shush!" Michelangelo pressed a trembling finger gently against his lips, signalling for everyone to keep quiet. "That noise!" His eyes widened as he watched the colour drain from his siblings' faces.

"There has to be a logical explanation, right Donnie?" Leonardo turned to his brother, who stood stock still for a few moments before bursting feverishly into life.

"Of course, there are logical explanations for everything." He fumbled about in his backpack until he drew out a small book and started leafing through its pages. A few fluttered to the ground before he snatched them up, flipping them over to study both sides. "Air pockets." He announced.

"Air pockets?" The reply came in unison.

The creases in his forehead deepened as he flicked through more pages. "Shifting stone work?" he offered. "Ah, the expansion and or the contraction of wooden structures?"

"Does that book have anything in it that isn't complete hogwash?" Raphael lent back against the wall and watched his brother as he snapped the book shut loudly.

"Do you have anything intelligent to add?" Donatello levelled as he ran his hand across the cover before placing the book inside his backpack.

"Might do," Raphael sniffed, pushing his self off of the wall. "This is stupid! I still say we look for the next window and climb out."

"It's simple," Leonardo rolled his and stepped forward, all we have to do is look for a staircase. There's bound to be one on this level somewhere and it will either lead us down and out of here or up to the battlements, where we can better assess our options." He motioned for the others to follow him as he started down the corridor again. "Come on!"


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

The moonlight cut thick shimmering swathes through the flowing blackness as it boiled and frothed before them. The searing cold bit deeply, almost tearing flesh from bone. Crossing his arms and hugging his coat tightly across his chest, Michelangelo rubbed his arms in an attempt to encourage some of the feeling back. Every muscle and joint in his body complained pitifully as he blundered steadily forward with every stumbling stiff limbed step. His eyelids had begun to droop, sleep called sweetly to him, the droning arguments of his elder siblings trickled over him like a forbidden lullaby. Each rolling nod as his head lolled forward only served to cast him back into that god forsaken castle.

Suddenly something in the distance grabbed his attention. _Had he just seen something or someone run down the corridor ahead of them? No, he was dreaming. That was it, dreeeeeaming. _He allowed his tumbling thoughts to carry him further into the fatigued recesses of his mind._ This was all a dreeeeeam, any minute now the alarm would pierce through the fogged veils of slumber and he'd wake up, warm and snug in his very own bed, with Mr Panda. _Without any warning he bumped straight into the back of Raphael, it was then noticed that his brothers had ceased arguing and come to a stop. Squeezing his eyes shut Michelangelo winced as he waited for the thump from Raphael, only it never came. Quickly he stole a look at his brother's faces his eyes flicking across each of their blank open mouthed expressions.

"Uh, guys? Guys?"

"Shhh!" Raphael hissed, clamping his hand across his younger sibling's mouth and drawing him closer. Michelangelo's muffled protests fell on deaf hears as his brother wrenched his head around to face the right direction, almost detaching it from his shoulders.

"That hurt!" Michelangelo pouted as he clawed the hand from his lips.

"Will you just shuddup and look?"

Michelangelo sighed dejectedly and began to follow the unbroken gaze of his brothers' down towards the end of the corridor_. If they were trying scare the piss out of him they were doing a pretty good job. _He squinted into the distance trying to force his eyes to focus through the swirling gloom. His eyes widened as he caught sight of a silvery movement shifting and flickering through the shadows. _It almost looked like someone was, like some one was. Peeping around the corner looking straight back at them! _The fluttering form whirled round quickly and melted back into the inky darkness, trailing rapid footsteps that echoed and danced across the walls.

The brothers exchanged sideways glances before breaking into a sprint after the mysterious figure.

"Did you see that?" Donatello asked, panting slightly at the exertion.

"We've have to be freaking blind not to!" Raphael hissed, keeping pace beside his brother.

"No. What I mean is, that actually 'looked' like, someone."

They skidded to a halt as their travels were suddenly cut short by a large wooden door

"Weeeeell, there's nobody so why don't we just head back?" Michelangelo suggested, dramatically shrugging his shoulders as he turned to leave. He didn't get far before Raphael caught the back of his collar and dragged him back.

"That's strange." everyone turned to look at Donatello.

"What's strange?" The other three asked in unison

"I don't remember seeing that door before and we must have passed this way more then a dozen times. He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Look," Leonardo reasoned, rubbing his temples, "It's late, we're tired, disoriented. Perhaps you've make a mistake, Donnie?" It was more a statement then a question. Donatello shot his brother a withering look before swinging his back down from his shoulder and depositing it on the floor.

"May I suggest we attempt to open it?" Donatello asked wiping the palms of his hands across the back of his trousers

The door creaked and groaned wearily, the sound scuttled quickly into corners of the room, as it was slowly coaxed from it's stone surround. A hard shove on his back sent Michelangelo sprawling into the room, he quickly regained his footing turning just in time to feel the heavy blast of air as the door slam closed behind him. Michelangelo stared slacked jawed at the door for what seemed like hours before desperately fumbling for the doorknob, which rattled fruitlessly in his grasp. A slight shifting in the air alerted him to another presence. Backing up against the door for added security he hesitantly glanced around the room. Watching hazy coils of his breath seep into the air before his sight settled on what looked to be a small female child attempting to hide behind a dresser. Her ratty blond curls obscured most of her face while her pale thin fingers bunched the fabric of her nightgown as she drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them protectively.

"Hey." Michelangelo squeaked, swallowing the clawing fear burning in his throat in an desperate bid to regain his own voice. "Hey there, sweetie." He moved closer crouching in a slightly haphazard effort to seem less intimidating. "what are you doing here, are you lost?" The girl squirmed further back between the dresser and the wall. Michelangelo bounced his weight onto the balls of his feet and scooted closer.

"Aww, you're not afraid of little ol' me are you?" he smiled slightly, offering his hand. She shook her head quickly disturbing the curls and causing to dance about her ashen face. A frown deeply furrowed his forehead, "Then why are you hiding?"

Her pale blue eyes stared wildly until she pointed at something directly over Michelangelo's right shoulder. He turned slightly and looked, expecting to see his older brothers behind him. Instead he found himself greeted by a looming skeletal a man. Fetid drapes of flesh hung in tattered ribbons from his twisted arms. Pallid withered skin was stretched limply across his grotesquely gnarled face, his thin lips pulled tightly into a misshapen sneer. Dark bloody sockets stared back from where his eyes once were, long boned finger tips raked through the darkness towards Michelangelo.

"Very funny Raph!" Leonardo scolded, folding his arms and regarding his brother carefully "Now open the door!"

" I didn't do it!"

"What?" Leonardo snorted.

"I. Didn't. Do. It." Raphael jabbed each word home with his finger on Leonardo's chest

"If you didn't do it," Leonardo levelled, knocking away Raphael's hand "then who did?"

Donatello watched passively as the brothers began circling each other and the shoving intensified. Flashlights clattered to the floor, sending shadows spinning in every direction, as a clumsy scuffle broke out. Both snatched hold of the front of the other's coats as they each tried to over power the other. Raphael slowly drew back his arm and balled his fist

A strange strangulated cry he failed to recognise escaped from Michelangelo lips as cold tentacles of terror grasped his throat and tightened their icy grip. Floundering he stumbled backwards causing his numbed legs to collapse painfully underneath him. His feet slithered on the damp floor hindering his attempts at gaining a foothold as Michelangelo tried to back up towards the wall. Suddenly he felt a heavy coldness engulf him as girl flung her arms around his shoulders. Instinctively he cradled her closer, pulling her into his body he held his arm up to shield them both tangling the fingers of his free hand in her blonde curls as she buried her face deeply into his neck. He in turn buried his face into her hair, resting his cheek gently against the side of her head. An involuntary shiver snaked his way across his shoulders and ran unhindered done his spine. _She was cold, so cold_. Her breath stung the soft folds of his skin as she breathed, squeezing him in a almost vice like grip.

"Please," she whispered pleadingly into his ear, "please. Make him go away!"

Leonardo smugly caught Raphael's punch in his open hand and twisted his arm down, the brothers now locked in a stalemate, glowered darkly at each other.

"Ahem." Donatello coughed into his hand.

"What now?" Raphael growled, his fearsome graze turning towards his brother.

"Mikey's been gone a long while, maybe we should, should see how he's doing?" Donatello ventured avoiding eye contact while he kicked at something on the floor.

Michelangelo's anguished cries bled through and spilled out into the corridor sending the three brothers barrelling towards the door. They grunted has it absorbed the force of their impact and stood fast.

"Again!" Leonardo ordered.

The door finally gave way. Bursting from its hinges it balanced momentarily before falling into the room, slamming onto the floor sending plumes of dust and scattering splintered wood in all directions. Michelangelo was hunched against the wall slowly rocking back and forth, humming and muttering incoherently under his breath.

Donatello crouched next to his brother and gently tapped him on his shoulder, Michelangelo slowly raised his head but his vacant eyes looked straight through him, "Mike, Mikey!" Donatello clicked his fingers in front of his brother's blank stare. "Mike?" He glanced back towards Leonardo. "I'm not getting any response." He didn't have time to add much else before Raphael barged him out of the way and roughly shook Michelangelo by both his shoulders.

"MIKE! MIKE!"

Michelangelo slowly blinked, "Raph?" He looked down at his empty arms. "Where's the girl?" He asked quietly. Raphael cast Leo a worried look.

"What girl Mikey? There's no girl." Raphael gently shook him again, full of concern.

"But, but there was a girl and, and she was here." Michelangelo looked down and offered up his empty his arms, hoping for some sort of conformation. Donatello and Raphael each took an arm and helped him to his feet.

"There's no girl, Mikey," Leonardo said softly, "Maybe you dreamt her?"

"I didn't dream her!" He snapped wrenching his arms free. "She was real and she was here!" He thrust his finger towards the ground to emphasise his point.

Leonardo put his hands up defensively. "Mikey there's nobody here."

Michelangelo's face darkened. "You took her!"

"What?"

"You took her and I want her back!" Michelangelo launched himself at his brother, the impact sent them both reeling to the ground. "I want her back! Give her **back**!" He spat, closing his hands round Leonardo's throat he started to dig his thumbs up into soft flesh under the chin, crushing the windpipe.

"Mike…" Leonardo breathed, as the pressure against his voice box increased, making crying out impossible, already the edges of the world were beginning to darken. It seemed like hours stretched out slowly before Michelangelo was hauled off.

Michelangelo sagged heavily in his brothers' grasp before sinking to his knees. "No, nooo, no. You took her, you took her." he whimpered before collapsing forwards onto the floor.

"Donnie?" Leonardo croaked, struggling to his feet and rubbing his neck.

Donatello knelt down beside his stricken brother. "He's out cold," he stated, "But his vital signs appear to be normal." He placed his hand on the side of Michelangelo's face, lifted a closed eyelid and frowned.

"Wha-what the **FUCK **just happened?" Raphael stammered, looking for some kind of explanation in his siblings faces.

"Paranoid delusions brought on by lack of sleep? Waking nightmares?" Donatello continued. "Parasomnias; a disruptive sleep related event involving inappropriate actions during sleep, sleep walking and night terrors for example?"

"We don't have time for this," Raphael grunted crouching beside Michelangelo, "help lift him." Raphael lent forwards jostling his brother's weight until his head was nestled against his chest and his legs hung limply over his arm. Blinking back the tears that pricked at his eyes, Raphael looked down into Michelangelo's face, the only signs of life the fluttering of his eyes behind closed eyelids. "C'mon Mikey, we're getting out of here." He breathed softly.


End file.
